Vincent and Lucrecia “I held your damp shoulders to warm you Your fingers tremble--what are they seeking? In broken speech, tell me why you want this pain You no longer seem so grown up, as your pretenses fade I want to protect this image of you-- Believe that love will change sadness to strength” --Just Communication, English translation,, Gundam Wing --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vincent rode the chocobo down the mountainside, hoping desperately that Lucrecia would be there. Cloud had taken them to her cave often on Vincent’s behalf, but she had only been there the one time. He reached the base of the mountains and looked over at the waterfall, holding the reigns with his one good hand. He turned the chocobo and it loped quickly over to the waterfall. He paused before carefully dismounting. He looked the chocobo in the eye, telling it silently not to go anywhere. “Woo hee wark!” Sephie chirped nervously. Vincent nodded and walked behind the waterfall, unconscious of the fact that he was holding his breath in anticipation. He strode down the short stone hallway, staring at his feet, not wanting to look up as though if he did, it would make her disappear. He stopped in the center of the cave and raised his head to look. The altar was glowing dimly. There was no sign of Lucrecia. Vincent walked over to the light and stood there, looking at it sadly. His eyes felt strange. He brushed at them with his hand, then looked down at it. His fingers were wet. Was he crying? Vincent blinked a few times, quickly. A tear ran down his cheek. Vincent knelt down on the floor, head lowered as he wept in silence. After a few minutes, he stood and wiped his face with the back of his hand. He gave the altar one last look before turning and walking slowly out of the cave. Vincent felt a few raindrops against his face. He looked upward at the gray sky as he was about to remount. He stiffened. There was someone on the slopes of the mountain. He squinted to try and make out who it was, but the rain began pouring heavily. He quickly climbed onto the chocobo and rode upward towards where he had seen the figure. He saw her again on the ledge above the waterfall and quickly dismounted from the chocobo and ran closer. It was Lucrecia. “...like this any longer,” she was saying. “Vincent...please forgive me.” She took a step forward towards the edge. “Lucrecia! Don’t!” Vincent yelled, moving closer. “Vincent?” Lucrecia turned to look at him. “No! Stay back!” Vincent halted. “Lucrecia. Why are you doing this?” “Vincent...I...I’m becoming a monster. I can’t fight it any longer. Look at me!” She held up her right hand to show him. Vincent looked at it in horror. The skin was white fading out to normal at the wrist. Blue-violet veins ran around nail-less fingers and along up her arm. “Look at me!” she cried bitterly. “Lucrecia, don’t give up now! Not after you’ve been fighting it for so long.” Lucrecia shook her head. “I’m a monster, Vincent. How long will it be now before the Jenova cells take over my body? How long, Vincent?” She inched closer to the waterfall. “Don’t!” Vincent shouted. “I won’t lose you again!” “Vincent......I've always loved you. I only thought I loved Hojo. But...soon I will no longer be myself. I might as well die now before I trouble the Planet like Hojo......like Sephiroth...I heard what he did. You cannot deny it. My son...Sephiroth...he summoned Meteor. And Hojo! Hojo tried to help him. How would I be any different?” “Don’t talk that way. There is still hope. You are no more of a monster than I, Lucrecia.” Vincent held up his claw to show her. “I tried to hide from it in that coffin, just as you did in your cave.” “No, Vincent. Yours does not try to take over your body, as mine does. You are not the parent of such a poor monster as Sephiroth, nor the mate of such evil as Hojo. You should find yourself someone better, Vincent. I am not worthy of your love. Goodbye.” She moved closer to the edge. “Lucrecia! No!” Vincent ran forward and grabbed her by the wrist before she had a chance to jump. She looked at him in shock. He could see the pain in her eyes. There was no hope there. “Lucrecia...” he said softly. She looked at his hand around her corrupted one and tried to jerk away, but she was weak and his grip held firm. “Never give up hope. There may still be a way to save yourself. I don’t care what sins you think you have committed, as long as you face them. Don’t run away, Lucrecia. You are stronger than that.” Lucrecia wavered, staring into his eyes, searching. Vincent stared back, hoping to see her strength there again. “...Vincent?” she said uncertainly. “Yes?” Vincent waited hopefully, searching her eyes for any signs as to whether she would give up on the idea of killing herself. Lucrecia sighed deeply and lowered her gaze. “Let’s go.” Vincent nodded and let go of her hand so she could use it for balance. He led her carefully back along the ledge towards the chocobo. Lucrecia stayed close behind him as he walked. Just as they were nearing safety, Lucrecia slipped on the wet rock. Vincent spun around and quickly caught her by the hand. Lucrecia looked downward in fright at the rushing waterfall. Vincent watched as she dangled there helplessly. Her hand was slowly slipping from his grasp, wet from the rain. If he tried to pull her up now, she would slip from him and fall... Vincent cursed quietly. “Lucrecia, give me your other hand!” he instructed her, carefully holding out his metal claw. Lucrecia looked at her twisted hand doubtfully. “Hurry! You’ll fall!” Lucrecia looked up at him, certainty flickering. Vincent cursed again. Lucrecia blinked, never having heard him do so before. She looked at him more closely and Vincent realized that he was again on the verge of tears. He swallowed hard and felt her hand slip further. “Please...” he whispered. “Vincent...” Lucrecia reached upward and grasped his claw tightly. A second later, her other hand slipped away. Vincent grabbed it again and pulled her upward onto the ledge. They sat for a moment, catching their breath. Vincent stood carefully and helped Lucrecia to her feet. He took her hand and walked slowly back to where the chocobo was waiting. Lucrecia stumbled on a rock and fell against him. Vincent could tell that she was tired. He lifted her up onto the chocobo and climbed up behind her, reaching around with his one arm to take the reigns. The chocobo seemed to know where it was going and turned back towards Nibelheim. Vincent and Lucrecia rode in silence all the way back. They did not stop until they had reached the gate to the Shinra Mansion. By then, Lucrecia had fallen asleep to the rhythmic sway of Sephie’s gait. Vincent lowered her from the chocobo and carried her gently inside the mansion. He took her down to the basement and laid her down upon the table. He would have left her upstairs, but there were still some monsters in the place. Vincent walked to the shelves of jars and pulled a paper out of his pocket. He unfolded it and read quickly over it, then searched through the jars until her found the ones he wanted. He mixed together varied amounts of the substances and put the potion into a small empty jar. He carefully put the others back onto the shelves and stuck the potion in his pocket along with the paper. Vincent walked back over to Lucrecia and carried her out of the mansion, keeping an eye out for any Mirages or Dorky Faces. He walked along the stone pathway and out through the gate. He paused, letting the gate swing shut behind him, then strode over to the recreation of Tifa’s house and walked through the door. He carried Lucrecia up the steps and laid her down on one of the beds. He walked into the bathroom to get a towel and dried her off with it as best he could. He then dried himself off and sat down on the other bed. Vincent found that he was tired as well. He lay down and quickly fell asleep. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was raining. Not a heavy, drenching rain, but the kind that slowly sank into your clothes and your skin and made you feel miserably cold. Vincent tugged his cloak tighter about himself, knowing that it would do no good, and looked at Cloud. Cloud turned from the remains of the Proud Clod and walked towards the steps. Vincent followed with Nanaki. They were met by a machine known as a Grosspanzer-Big, a thing that consisted of a spiky metal wheel, a main cannon, and two machine guns on the side. They dispatched it easily with a few uses of Bolt3 and Fire3. The machine collapsed and the three walked around it and up the first flight of steps where they met Cait Sith. “This way, Cloud!” he said, bouncing on up the steps. They followed at a run, but once they were almost to the top, two SOLDIERs, first class, attacked them. Vincent cast Death and killed the first of them. Cloud and Nanaki attacked the other with Bolt3. They hurried on up to the main platform where Hojo was standing in front of a control panel, pressing buttons rapidly as electricity crackled along the wires. “Hojo! Stop right there!!” Cloud yelled. Hojo did not even pause. “Oh...the failure.” “At least remember my name! It’s Cloud!” Hojo stopped, but did not turn around. Vincent watched the man, hatred growing. “Every time I see you, I...It pains me that I had so little scientific sense. I evaluated you as a failed project. But, you are the only one that succeeded as a Sephiroth-clone.” He began pushing buttons again. “Heh, heh, heh......I’m even beginning to hate myself.” “None of that matters...just stop this nonsense!” Cloud told him. “...nonsense?” Hojo asked. “Oh this?” He turned around. “Ha, ha, ha...Sephiroth seems to be counting on the energy. So I’m going to lend him a hand.” “Why!? Why do that!?” Cloud asked him angrily. Hojo,Vincent thought, does he have some sick sort of link to Sephiroth? To his son? “Quit asking me why, you moron.” Hojo walked closer to Cloud. “Hmm…actually, you might be cut out to be a scientist.” He went back over to the controls to look at something. “Energy level is at......83%. It’s taking too long.” He pressed buttons frantically. “My son is in need of power and help. ...That’s the only reason.” “...your son?” Cloud inquired, disbelieving. “Ha, ha, ha...Although he doesn’t know.” Hojo lifted his head, shoulders shaking with maniacal laughter. “Ha, ha, ha...HA, HA, HA...!! What will Sephiroth think when he finds out I’m his father? Always looking down on me like that. HA, HA, HA...!!” “Sephiroth is your son!?” Cloud was shocked. Vincent clenched his fist tightly, anger towards Hojo rising. It was enough that he had violated Lucrecia, but now he was attempting to help the monster of a son that he had created... “Ha, ha, ha...I offered the woman with my child to Professor Gast’s Jenova Project. When Sephiroth was still in the womb, we took the cells of Jenova...HA, HA, HA!!” “You......!” was all Vincent managed to get out. “I can’t believe you’re the one who did this...The illusionary crime against Sephiroth...” Hojo turned around again. “Heee, hee, hee, hee! No you’re wrong! It’s my desire as a scientist! Heee, hee, hee, hee!” Vincent couldn’t take this much longer. It had been a crime. To both Lucrecia and Sephiroth! And Hojo was calling it science! Vincent made an angry slashing gesture. “......I was...wrong. The one that should have slept was...” He paused, taking out his gun and pointing it at the ‘scientist.’ “...You, Hojo!” “I...was defeated by my desire to become a scientist. I lost the last time as well.” Hojo began dancing crazily, annoyingly. “I've injected Jenova’s cells into my own body! Heee, hee, hee! Here are......Heee, hee, hee!...my results!!” Nanaki and Cloud prepared for battle, Vincent lowered his arm and readied himself for the morphing he knew would come from his anger. “Gwah, ha, ha...!” Hojo laughed, lurching sickeningly from side to side. He made an maddened swiping gesture and two tentacles appeared on either side of him. Vincent glared at Hojo and his eyes began to glow. He morphed into the creature known as Hellmasker, a hulking thing with white skin and a vicious chainsaw. He cast Nightmare on one of the tentacles to the sound of screams from the air. Then he ran up and savagely attacked Hojo with his chainsaw. “Let’s see how the Mako juice is reacting,” Hojo cackled, transforming into a hideous creature very similar in appearance to Jenova. The thing rested on one tentacle-arm while it swiped at Vincent with the other trident-shaped arm. Vincent dodged it as Cloud summoned NeoBahamut. The Hojo creature was lifted into the air on its clump of metal to where the draconic beast was waiting. NeoBahamut charged up and fired a powerful blast that destroyed the block of metal and sent Hojo tumbling back to the platform. One of the thing’s arms shriveled up. Vincent went in and attacked the thing again. Nanaki summoned BahamutZERO and the three waited as the creature flew around the Planet and fired a powerful energy beam downwards at Hojo. Cloud summoned Odin to help. The horned man came in riding his six-legged horse and threw his spear into the sky. The clouds parted, letting light shine through onto Hojo as the weapon came lancing down at him. Vince sawed into him as Hojo cringed backward. The twisted thing then revived its arm and Vincent attacked once more, this time even more viciously. Nanaki summoned Ramuh and the ground shook as the tower came up from the ground. Lightning struck it and Ramuh appeared at the top, holding the raw electricity in his staff. He glared sternly at Hojo and cast the lightning upon him. Shiva came down after him amidst snow, summoned by Cloud. She concentrated the cold into the palm of her hand and sent the blast flying into Hojo. The creature transformed again, into a humanoid thing with no legs that floated in the air, tail lashing. Vincent cast Nightmare upon it, shrieking air swirling about it, but the attack had no effect. Hojo went forward and attacked Cloud fiercely, ignoring Vincent for the time being. Nanaki called upon Leviathan who appeared and sent its tidal wave at the deformed scientist. Vincent attacked the floating creature with his chainsaw. Hojo, in turn, attacked Cloud again, this time even more fiercely. Cloud dropped to one knee, weakened. Vincent continued to attack Hojo, unable to control the Hellmasker enough to Cure Cloud. Hojo attacked Nanaki, putting him to sleep with the stinger on the tip of his tail. Vincent attacked him again before it delivered several more fierce blows to Cloud, knocking him unconscious. Vincent was the only one still capable of attacking and he did so viciously. Hojo died before he was able to defend himself. Vincent morphed back into his human form and caught his breath. He revived the others. Cloud looked at Hojo in silence. “The father...” Nanaki muttered. “Hojo...Rest in peace...” Vincent said, even though the man did not deserve such a thing. But if Lucrecia actually had loved him, it was the least he could do. Lucrecia...Vincent thought of her sadly, bowing his head in reflection. He put his gun away and turned his back on the still form of Hojo. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Vincent...?” Someone was calling him. “Vincent? Are you asleep?” Lucrecia... Vincent opened his eyes and sat up. He looked over at her. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching him carefully. She looked no older than she had thirty years ago. She still wore the same white labcoat over her black pants and boots. Her light brown hair was as long as ever. Her blue-green eyes held the same glow that was caused by Mako. “I...I wanted to ask you something.” He waited. “Vincent...do you still blame yourself for what happened?” Vincent nodded. Lucrecia sighed and shook her head. “It’s all my fault really.” “Lucrecia—” “No, Vincent. Hear me out. It is my fault. I was the one who agreed to Hojo’s experiment. I was the one who gave birth to Sephiroth. Sephiroth...my poor child...” “I was the one who failed to stop it,” Vincent told her. “You loved Hojo. You would do anything for him at that point...As I would have done for you. But I failed. That is my sin.” Lucrecia shook her head. “It’s not your fault. I never told you that I loved you, until now. I’m sure that if I had, then you would have stopped them. Now I am paying the price for my sins.” Vincent sighed. A long stretch of silence followed. “...this is pointless, isn’t it? We’re blaming ourselves for everything that has happened. Hojo had just as much a hand in this as we did...” Lucrecia nodded slowly, averting her gaze to the window. “But Hojo is dead.” “Sephiroth is dead as well,” Vincent stated. “Shinra has been destroyed. A lot of people died. Many are suffering…” He paused. “But that’s over now. Maybe, after all this time...maybe we can put it behind us.” Lucrecia looked at him hard. She hadn’t expected such a statement from Vincent. He always seemed so grim…and so sure that he had failed her. “Maybe...you’re right.” She smiled at him. Vincent blinked. He hadn’t seen that smile in thirty some years. He smiled back, a real smile, not a cold imitation. Now it was Lucrecia’s turn to be surprised. It was something he hadn’t done in a long time. Suddenly remembering why he had brought her here, Vincent reached into his pocket and pulled out the little bottle containing the potion. Lucrecia looked at it curiously. “What’s that?” “A potion...it should help you fight against the Jenova inside of you,” he told her. “Where ever did you get it?” Lucrecia inquired. “In the basement.” “Vincent...how long did it take you to find it?” “Only a month,” he replied. “I should have done it sooner...but I didn’t know that you were still alive. And even when I did find out...I was still going after Sephiroth and Hojo.” Lucrecia nodded. “With Cloud. I understand. How will it help?” “By weakening Jenova...your own original cells should be unaffected. Then, once the Jenova cells are weakened, your immune system can begin to attack them and reproduce new, untainted cells. I cannot be entirely sure that it will work...” “It’s worth a try...it’s better than what will happen to me if the virus takes it’s natural course...” Lucrecia reached for the bottle. Vincent hesitated, then handed it to her. She inspected the potion carefully, then opened the bottle and drank some of it. She made a face and swallowed. “That tastes awful,” she told him. A grin played at the corners of Vincent’s mouth. Lucrecia handed the bottle back to him. He closed the top and put it away. Lucrecia stood up unsteadily and walked a to the bathroom to get some water. Vincent watched her leave, then stood up and went over to the dresser. He looked through the drawers and, sure enough, a few pairs of old gloves could be found. Likely Lucrecia would be wanting one for her hand. She walked back in and came over to him. “Gloves?” She looked at her hand. “...oh.” She chose one of the them and slid her hand into it. The glove fit well. She wavered slightly. “I think the potion is beginning to take effect...” She leaned against Vincent. “How long do you think I’ll be this weak?” “I don’t know.” He was silent for a moment. “I need to return the chocobo to Cloud and Aeris...” “I’ll be able to come with,” she told him. Vincent turned to walk down the steps, but realized that Lucrecia was holding herself up by putting her weight on him. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, then lifted her off of her feet and carried her down the steps and out through the front door. He set her atop the chocobo. She motioned for him to climb up in front of her. He mounted the chocobo and she held onto his waist and rested her head against his back. Vincent sat there for a moment, simply...enjoying being close to her like that. Then he tapped Sephie lightly with the reigns and she began trotting towards Costa Del Sol. Vincent looked up at the sky. The clouds had disappeared and the sky was a deep blue color. It seemed as though there was no end to it. The sun shone down brightly upon them. It was possibly the first time Vincent had ever enjoyed the weather in over thirty years. He let himself take in the warmth from the sun, as well as from Lucrecia, as though he had never felt it before. Maybe things were finally changing for the better...